Cockpit Deptford is a new home for the arts and crafts in south London
Cockpit Deptford by Cooke Fawcett Architects opens in south London, offering creative studios, a café, woodworking and metalworking hubs, and a craft garden

Cockpit Deptford has occupied a 1960s council building next to the water at Creekside in south London since 2002, but a £3.24 million refurbishment by Cooke Fawcett Architects has given it a new lease of life. Demand for studio space is higher ever, according to Jonathan Burton, CEO of London’s Cockpit Studios. For nearly 40 years, Cockpit Studios has housed craftspeople from more than 20 disciplines in subsidised studio spaces in Bloomsbury and Deptford, so it’s good news that the new headquarters has just opened in the latter.
The organisation and its new base now house 60 studios instead of 40, a new café, woodworking and leather working hubs and a craft garden created by British designer Sebastian Cox.
Cockpit Deptford: step inside the new headquarters
A revamped leather-working hub, an education space and a new exterior mural complete the picture. Created by Cockpit resident artist Amber Khokhar, the mural depicts the colourful, multicultural history of Deptford: a safety-pin tile is an homage to Sid Vicious, who lived here; a record reminds us that Northern Soul was given its name in SE8. Bobbins, knives, pencils and rope – all tools of the trade – lie within.
The new craft garden features plants that are used in the making process – willow in basketry, flax and madder in natural dyes. Rubble beds are made from the waste from the refurb and Cox’s first outdoor tables and chairs are a good spot to sit and have a coffee from the new Spring Café.
The privilege of being a Cockpit resident is 24-hour access to the site and ample outdoor yard space in which to make noise, create dust and receive deliveries. The whole space invites greater public interaction, crucial given all the makers rely on selling their work. ‘Creating an open, dynamic space which the public could see into but not necessarily enter was one of the main challenges,’ says Francis Fawcett.
Cockpit Deptford is unveiled just in time for its Open Studios. Taking place over two weekends in June, visitors can go behind the scenes in Deptford and at Cockpit’s sister site in Bloomsbury and buy directly from more than 175 makers, among them wood sculptor Eleanor Lakelin, whose solo exhibition opens at Sarah Myerscough Gallery this month.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Emma O'Kelly is a freelance journalist and author based in London. Her books include Sauna: The Power of Deep Heat and she is currently working on a UK guide to wild saunas, due to be published in 2025.
-
Warp Records announces its first event in over a decade at the Barbican
‘A Warp Happening,' landing 14 June, is guaranteed to be an epic day out
By Tianna Williams
-
Cure your ‘beauty burnout’ with Kindred Black’s artisanal glassware
Does a cure for ‘beauty burnout’ lie in bespoke design? The founders of Kindred Black think so. Here, they talk Wallpaper* through the brand’s latest made-to-order venture
By India Birgitta Jarvis
-
The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt will be shown at Tate Modern
The 42-panel quilt, which commemorates those affected by HIV and AIDS, will be displayed in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall in June 2025
By Anna Solomon
-
A new London house delights in robust brutalist detailing and diffused light
London's House in a Walled Garden by Henley Halebrown was designed to dovetail in its historic context
By Jonathan Bell
-
A Sussex beach house boldly reimagines its seaside typology
A bold and uncompromising Sussex beach house reconfigures the vernacular to maximise coastal views but maintain privacy
By Jonathan Bell
-
This 19th-century Hampstead house has a raw concrete staircase at its heart
This Hampstead house, designed by Pinzauer and titled Maresfield Gardens, is a London home blending new design and traditional details
By Tianna Williams
-
An octogenarian’s north London home is bold with utilitarian authenticity
Woodbury residence is a north London home by Of Architecture, inspired by 20th-century design and rooted in functionality
By Tianna Williams
-
What is DeafSpace and how can it enhance architecture for everyone?
DeafSpace learnings can help create profoundly sense-centric architecture; why shouldn't groundbreaking designs also be inclusive?
By Teshome Douglas-Campbell
-
The dream of the flat-pack home continues with this elegant modular cabin design from Koto
The Niwa modular cabin series by UK-based Koto architects offers a range of elegant retreats, designed for easy installation and a variety of uses
By Jonathan Bell
-
Are Derwent London's new lounges the future of workspace?
Property developer Derwent London’s new lounges – created for tenants of its offices – work harder to promote community and connection for their users
By Emily Wright
-
Showing off its gargoyles and curves, The Gradel Quadrangles opens in Oxford
The Gradel Quadrangles, designed by David Kohn Architects, brings a touch of playfulness to Oxford through a modern interpretation of historical architecture
By Shawn Adams